Yangthola!

YANGTHOLA!

MAKES ITS BIGGEST RUN TO DATE AT THE SOUTH AFRICAN STATE THEATRE
Pretoria, South Africa – The South African State Theatre, in association with Aziye Productions, proudly presents YANGTHOLA!, the 2025 Naledi Award Winner for Best Fringe Performance, running from 5 to 15 February 2026 at the Malombo Theatre.

Written and directed by Mongezi Ntukwana and performed by Alex Sono, YANGTHOLA! is a sharp, physical one-hander that interrogates homelessness, survival, and the ingenuity required to exist within a harsh capitalist system.

Blending humour with incisive social commentary, the production uses comedy as an entry point into a story that is urgent, inventive, and deeply human. The work was originally developed at the University of the Witwatersrand, where Ntukwana wrote the first iteration as part of a writing examination. Recognising the life of the piece beyond the academic space, the production was further developed at the Yes Let’s Experimental Festival, facilitated by The Art Cave, where it underwent significant artistic refinement.

Employing Poor Theatre techniques, puppetry, found objects, heightened physicality, and inventive storytelling, YANGTHOLA! transforms scarcity into theatrical language. The body becomes landscape, everyday objects are reimagined, and survival is rendered with clarity, wit, and imagination. At the centre of the production is a commanding performance by Alex Sono, whose work earned him the Naledi Award for Best Fringe Performer in 2025.

The production also received a Bronze Standard Bank Ovation Award at the 2024 National Arts Festival, confirming its national impact and artistic merit.

Movement direction by Ernest Ginger Baleni gives the production its muscular rhythm and physical precision, ensuring that the comedy and physical storytelling operate in exact balance. This season at the South African State Theatre marks a significant milestone for the production, offering audiences an opportunity to experience a bold, award-winning South African work on one of the country’s most prestigious stages.

PERFORMANCE DETAILS
Venue: Malombo Theatre, South African State Theatre Dates: 5 to 15 February 2026 Ticket Price: R100 Age Restriction: 13 PG Tickets available via Webtickets and Pick n Pay outlets nationwide
MEDIA ENQUIRIES
Bongani Nicholas Ngomane

Tel: 072 700 6030

Email: bongani@statetheatre.co.za

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Yangthola!

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